Lonely Night
by MakorraLove97
Summary: After their parent's death, the young boys live on the dirty streets, fighting for survival. Each night they curl up in an alley, only having each other in this lonely world. They only have each other and when Bolin gets hungry, Mako goes to find food. However, when he does, it does not go well and he gets badly hurt. The only thing that helps Mako continue on is one thing: Bolin.


**Hi there everyone, how are you guys doing? So, this is a one-shot I decided to write on Mako and Bolin when they lived on the streets when they were children. I'm not really sure if they should be rated 'T' or not, but for some reason I feel like it should... haha, let me know what you think! Thanks! :D I really hope you like it! :)**

_**Please do comment/review and let me know what you think of it, I would gladly appreciate it and love to see what you all thought of the story, thanks!**_

**Thank you for reading! ^_^**

**I OWN NOTHING; I DO NOT OWN AVATAR: THE LEGEND OF KORRA.**

* * *

"_Lonely Night_"

**. . .**

The moon slowly creeps above over the horizon; the sky darkening to pitch black. The scattered stars are slightly lighting up the dark sky.

The night is silent; all the people returned back to their homes, the shops are closed, and the cars are off the usually busy street.

While the rest of the City is peacefully asleep in their homes, two small children, the ages of six and eight, are sitting in a dark alley that is in between two large, brick buildings.

The two young boys are leaning their backs against the wall, staying hidden behind piles of garbage. The older child has his small arms wrapped around his younger brother's body, protectively holding him close against him.

The younger child looks up at his brother, his bright, emerald eyes shining through the darkness, "Mako? I'm cold."

Mako sighs and nods his head slowly, "I know, Bo... I know." Mako wraps the old, dirty, torn blanket over them even tighter, giving most of the blanket to his brother. The two boys are covered in filth; dirt smeared onto their skins while scars and bruises are scattered along their bodies.

The weather is getting colder now that it is almost wintertime; the air is chilly and the strong winds make it even colder out. As the days go by the temperature continues to drop and every minute of the day that passes it becomes more freezing outside.

Bolin sighs and looks down, a frown on the six-year-old's face, "And hungry." Mako could hear his own stomach growling at the mention of food. The last time he remembers eating was early in the morning, but they only had scraps of bread out of the garbage.

Living on the streets isn't easy; you're starving, scared, cold, and lonely. Ever since Mako and Bolin's parents were brutally killed by a firebender, they have been on their own, living on the streets. Every night Bolin could cry himself to sleep and Mako would comfort him, but once he was sure his younger siblings was asleep, he would also fall asleep crying. They both witnessed their parents' death and that… that scarred them for the rest of their lives.

Mako stares down at his brother, knowing he could easily use his firebending to warm his brother up and himself, but he promised himself he would never dare use the same element as the man who murdered their parents. Ever since that horrified night, Mako believes the element of fire is only used for destruction and hatred.

As Mako holds his shivering body, he could hear Bolin's growling stomach break the silence of the night. The older brother frowns and decided he has to go and find some food for them. However, it would be quite difficult, considering it is the middle of the night and all the shops are closed.

Bolin looks up to see his brother slowly standing up. He gives him a questioning look, but Mako simply wraps the blanket tightly around Bolin and places garbage bags in front of him. He locks eyes with Bolin and firmly says, "Stay here and stay hidden, Bo. I'm going to go find us some food."

The corner of Bolin's mouth twitches up, forming a smile at the mention of food and he slowly nods his head. He watches as his brother walks off, vanishing into the shadows of the night and a frown makes its way onto the boy's face. As Bolin watches his brother disappear, he softly whispers, "Be safe…"

**. . .**

Mako runs as quickly as his eight-year-old legs will take him. He glances over his shoulder to see the middle-aged man, about in his late twenties, still chasing him. They have been running for what seemed like forever, but Mako does not stop and apparently neither does the man.

He finally found an old store that is open all night and he quietly snuck in and stole a load of bread. When he turned around to crawl away, Mako bumped right into a garbage pail, knocking it over and causing a loud bang. The man who works at the shop saw him and began chasing after him.

The man is an earthbender, so, as Mako runs, he has to dodge the rocks that are being flung at him. One of the rocks slices his arm, ripping his sleeve and drawing blood, but that doesn't stop him. Mako yelps at the pain, but doesn't stop running.

"Hey!" The man harshly yells, "Get back here you dirty street-rat!" The man bends another piece of the ground and throws it at Mako. This time, the rock slams against his leg and he stumbles to the ground.

The man smirks as he walks slowly over to Mako, shaking his head. Mako goes to stand up as he clenches the same loaf of bread to his chest, but the man earthbends Mako's legs to the ground, restraining him from moving and running away. Mako gasps and his bright amber eyes flash up to connect with the man's dark forest, green eyes. The man chuckles, speaking in a low, cold voice, "Stupid child. I'm gonna show ya' what happens to people who like to steal from me."

The young child stares up at the largely built man; the man is much bigger and stronger and that scares him. He's scared not because of the size of the man, but he's worried about Bolin. Who would protect and take care of Bolin if something were to happen to him? Who would feed him? Watch him? Love him?

Mako watches as the man walks up to him and suddenly, Mako feels a heavy, metal, work boot connect with his side. A cry of pain escapes his lips and he could have sworn he heard something crack. His cry gets stuck in his throat and suddenly the young child cannot scream; he could not release his painful cries into the dark, lonely night.

The man kicks Mako again, and again, and again. He starts punching him and beating him, but Mako doesn't fight back. He just holds onto the piece of bread as tightly as his small hands can. The young firebender squeezes his eyes shut as images of Bolin flash through his mind.

Mako's blood stains the man's large hands and finally, with one last kick to the stomach, something inside of Mako changes. A spark of fire flashes in Mako's eyes when they open up, glaring up at the man who is beating him. All Mako could think about is his younger brother, alone in this dark world.

It takes everything inside of the small eight-year-old to lift up one leg and kick a wave of fire at the older man. The burst of flames slam against the man and it makes him stumble backwards.

He jumps to his feet and punches two fire blasts at the man, putting all his emotions to the side and concentrating. Mako uses all the strength that is left in him to fight against the larger man. Even though Mako swore he would _never_ use his firebending and especially not in a fight, but he would do anything for Bolin. _Anything_.

The man's eyes widen at the sudden adrenaline coming from the small boy; surprised that he actually finally fought back against him. The man clenches his jaw and bends half of the sidewalk off and throws it at Mako, but Mako rolls out of the way and punches two flames at the older man.

The fire is a direct hit and it slams into the man, making him fall flat on his back, groaning from the pain _he_ is in. A satisfied smirk comes to Mako's face and he looks down to see the loaf of bread securely in his pant pocket. He looks back up, his amber eyes breaking through the dark shadows and glaring at the man who is struggling to stand back up on his feet.

"I may be a street-rat," Mako begins in a low, tired voice, "but at least I know how to fight for what I care about… and I know how to win." The man growls and goes to punch another rock towards him, but Mako, whom is quick on his feet from the months they have been living on the streets, jumps right out of the way and creates a wave of fire with his two, small hands.

The heat of the flames is unbearable and the fire the small Firebender created are huge. He watches the man's eyes widen in fear and that stops Mako from attacking him any further. Those eyes… those eyes that are full of fear are the same eyes his father had when he fell to the ground, unable to move after watching his wife be murdered right in front of him.

Mako could feel his body shaking and then with that, the boy closes his eyes, turns on his heels, and dashes down the alley, disappearing from the man's view. The man closes his eyes and lets out a sigh, sitting there in the middle of the street over thinking the events that just occurred.

**. . .**

As Mako is walking back to where he left his brother, he loses his balance from the lack of energy and falls to his knees, gasping at the amount of pain he is suffering right now. He is panting heavily and his blood is dripping out of his wounds that the man left on his arms and legs. His stomach and muscles are aching; he is hurting all over, physically and mentally.

The young Firebender closes his eyes and stays still for a few minutes, trying to catch his breath with the loaf in his small hand. He slowly opens his amber eyes to stare down at the piece of food and that suddenly gives him the strength to gather to his feet and keep moving.

He limps down the empty streets, gripping at his sides and shaking from the pain and the cold weather. He swallows the lump that is stuck in his throat; he could feel his eyes becoming watery. He would be dead, if not for his brother. The only reason why he was able to stand back up and fight back or keep on moving when all he wanted to do was lay there and die, was because of his brother; because of Bolin. Bolin is what makes him get up every morning and fight for survival; there is nothing he would not do for his younger brother.

Mako finally makes it back to the empty, dark alley he left Bolin an hour ago. At first, he doesn't spot his brother and that sends a wave of panic through him. However, he eventually spots the young Earthbender fast asleep, hidden behind piles of garbage.

A smile comes to his face and he slowly reaches him, kneeling down and nudging him awake. Bolin moans at first, but when he smells the food in Mako's hands, his eyes slowly begin to open, a smile forming on his face.

He looks up at Bolin with grateful eyes, "You found us some food?" Mako nods his head and smiles back down at his brother as he hands him the loaf of bread, "Yeah… yeah, I did."

Mako knows that Bolin probably notices his wounds, but he knows he would not bring it up, knowing that Mako would just shake his head and avoid the question anyways. Bolin gladly takes the bread from Mako's hands, but breaks the piece of food in half. He starts chewing on one half as he hands his brother the other half.

At first, Mako refuses, but Bolin continues to push the food towards his brother with a warm smile on his face. The young Firebender sighs, but takes the food from his brother's hands and chews on the food.

Both brothers eat their food in piece, curled up next to one another with the thick blanket wrapped warmly around them. They both eat their food in silence, but suddenly, they both feel a lot warmer, inside and out. While Mako uses one hand to eat, he uses the other to create a small flame, which is warming both of them up.

They are both leaning on one another, listening to the silent sounds of the night while eating the warm piece of bread. After a while, Mako glances down to see his brother peacefully sleeping, snoring silently against his shoulder.

At that moment, all the pain escapes Mako and he knows that even through all the chaos, pain, and suffering, it is all worth it to get through another day with his younger brother. They both would protect each other through the lonely, cold nights, but tonight… tonight does not feel like a lonely night.

Tonight, Mako is for sure his brother is sleeping safely beside him, happily full from the bread, and for right now, that is all that matters.


End file.
